For example, an electronic datebook has an image memo function. The image memo function includes an input for inputting an image memo, and a retrieval mode for retrieving inputted image memo data and displaying all retrieved results simultaneously. These two modes are described below.
1 The input mode inputs an image memo composed of, for example, graphics, character strings, etc. In this case, a color of a whole screen on a display section, namely, a background color of the image memo is determined by selecting from red, green, blue, etc., and the image memo is inputted. When the background color is determined and is displayed on the display section, the image memo to be inputted to the display section is displayed. Then, the background color data and corresponding image memo data are stored into a memory as the need arises. Here, a color of the display screen (for example, black, grey, etc.) can be directly used as the background color, or an image memo can be colored by a desired color.
2 The retrieval mode, for example, retrieves all or part of image memo data stored into a memory and displays them on the display section. In this retrieval mode, conditions of retrieval are variously set, and image memo data which agree to operator's desirable condition can be taken out. Examples of the conditions are date sequential retrieval for simultaneously displaying all image memo data stored in a memory in order of date, color sequential retrieval for simultaneously displaying all image memo data in each group classified by background colors in necessary order per group, and retrieval according to colors for simultaneously displaying all image memo data in a group for a specified background color. In the retrieval mode, a retrieval menu for specifying a condition of the retrieval and all retrieved image memo data are displayed separately on the screen. As an example of the display of the detected image memo data, the image memo data which are reduced are respectively displayed on small screens obtained by dividing the screen of the whole display section into plural screens. When a number of the retrieved image data are so large that all retrieved image memo data cannot be displayed simultaneously, they are successively displayed by a scrolling function.
A similar retrieval mode to the above is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-260770/1991 (Tokukaihei 3-260770).
In the above conventional retrieval mode, since the retrieval menu and retrieved image memo data are separately displayed on a screen, the following defects are pointed out.
First, if all the displaying image memo data are image memo data in a red group on the screen where detected image memo data are displayed, a retrieval condition relating to currently displaying an image memo data group cannot be occasionally recognized exactly. The reason for this is described below. Concretely, all image memo data which were retrieved and are being displayed become the image memo data in the red group, for example, when only the image memo data in the red group exist in a memory even if a date sequential retrieval mode, which displays all image memo data in a memory simultaneously, is selected, and when retrieval according to colors, which retrieves only image memo data in red group of each color group in a display memory and displays all the image memo data in the red group, is selected. Since these two cases are hardly distinguishable as mentioned above, a retrieval condition cannot be exactly recognized from the screen on which retrieved image memo data are being displayed.
In addition, if image memo data are retrieved according to another retrieval condition with the retrieved image memo data being displayed, the currently displayed image is cleared so that the retrieval menu is displayed. Then, a desirable retrieval condition should be specified from the retrieval menu. Therefore, the conventional method is troublesome.